Bunny that keeps wetting himself

Hello,

Just wondered if anyone could give me any advise really. Over the past 4 weeks my bunny has stopped using the litter tray and is constantly weeing on himself, at first he was really sore and I took him to the vets who advised me to bathe him once a day in hibiscrub, dry him and put some cream on him to stop fly strike, I also cut away the fur that was matted. I did this and after a week he did continue to get better.
I took him for his final visit to the vets last week and they said that he is just a messy bunny and there was no medical reason for him to be doing this. The vet felt along his urinery tract and said that it felt fine and my bunny is healthy but that I would need to be his mum from now on and bathe him as he has decided to stop looking after himself.

Has anyone expirenced the same thing?, Caramel (my bun) is fine apart from this, plenty of appetite, and he has always drank alot of water.

Do you think I should get a second opinion as he is just constantly wetting himself? and doesn't seem to be improving? in fact he seems worse this week. His skin isn't sore anymore though, he is just constantly wet through.

I change his litter everyday, and clean him out every other day to try and keep him dry as best as I can.

Thanks

May i ask the age of the bunny and has he been neutered??Has this neutering been recent??
I can only think of a UTI.
Is there any chance you can measure actually how much he is drinking??
I do hope someone a bit more clued up can help.
Maybe ask Jacks Jane or Prettylupin.....

yvette said:

May i ask the age of the bunny and has he been neutered??Has this neutering been recent??
I can only think of a UTI.
Is there any chance you can measure actually how much he is drinking??
I do hope someone a bit more clued up can help.
Maybe ask Jacks Jane or Prettylupin.....

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Hello,

Yes he is 4 years old, and I had him spayed when he was 1. Has been fully litter trained up until the last few weeks.

He is paired with another bun, so difficult to tell who is drinking what but every time I go to the cage he is drinking.

you poor thing, i would prob get another opinion? is he an old rabbit?, Thumper only wet himself for a few days prior to passing away & i had to wash him daily too
is hes wee really dark & smelly? or like water?

debbie_7155 said:

you poor thing, i would prob get another opinion? is he an old rabbit?, Thumper only wet himself for a few days prior to passing away & i had to wash him daily too
is hes wee really dark & smelly? or like water?

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It is smelly and sort of cloudy (but the vet said this is due to minerals that bunnies pass in their wee).

I don't want to lose him, I had to have one of my dwarf lops but to sleep last month as he had a tumor in his belly. Don't want to lose another bunny so soon

My thoughts keep returning to UTI.
I did have another thought about if his kidneys are working properly,but I dont want to cause any worry.you prolly are anyway!!!
Is your vet normally good with your bunny??
I would get another vet to look at him..but thats me.
How can he just suddenly be a messy bunny??? Youve had him all of his 4 yrs and its come on this sudden.
Good luck with him.xxxx

I would have said an infection, prob some antibiotics will clear it up...but i would def take him back to the vets or another one
im sure your bunny will be fine.. sending vibes

yvette said:

My thoughts keep returning to UTI.
I did have another thought about if his kidneys are working properly,but I dont want to cause any worry.you prolly are anyway!!!
Is your vet normally good with your bunny??
I would get another vet to look at him..but thats me.
How can he just suddenly be a messy bunny??? Youve had him all of his 4 yrs and its come on this sudden.
Good luck with him.xxxx

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May I ask what UTI is? is it urinery tract infection? sorry to be thick.

I have a feeling deep down that it is something to do with his kidneys, I have 3 cats and four bunnies and my vets are usually really good, I did think about taking him to another vets that my friend takes her bunnies to, just for a second opinion and peace of mind. He doesn't appear to be in any pain at all, he just seems to be in abit of discomfort.

I am lucky though as he loves to be bathed and blow dried so he's no trouble to handle lol!

Yes a UTI is a urinary tract infection. Has your vet tested and ruled this out?

I think the other thing that can cause a bunny to lose continence is EC, has your vet considered this? Has the bun ever had a cause of Panacur?

bunnies hide there pain well im afraid,

my thought is UTI hope you find out soon what it is keep us posted

I would put him on a course of antibiotics to see if this helps.

Thanks for the advice guys.

I am going to ring the vets in the morning and see what they say.

Will keep you posted.

I think antibiotics could help. Baytril is good for clearing up UTI's.

Have you panacured your bun? EC might be another cause as said before.

Definately get a 2nd vets opinion.

Good luck x

hows the little cutie doing now?

Vibes for your little man"

Moobooties said:

I took him for his final visit to the vets last week and they said that he is just a messy bunny and there was no medical reason for him to be doing this.

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I would absolutely change vets, this is nonsense. Rabbits don't turn into a 'messy bunny' overnight for no reason after 4 years of perfect litter training.

Sadly rabbit medicine is barely taught as part of the core veterinary curriculum so there are lots of well-meaning but poorly-knowledged vets who may be brilliant with cats and dogs but just don't know what they are looking for with rabbits. You can't tell just by feeling that 'everything is ok'.

As others have said, there are two prime culprits for this sudden change - one is a urinary tract infection, and the other is e.cuniculi (ec) infection. Both are treatable but ec in particular needs to be caught early as it is infectious and can cause permanent damage. Plus of course the constant wetness will be making your bunny very uncomfortable.

I would urge you to seek a second opinion from another vet if you have not done so already.

Good luck xx

Santa said:

I would absolutely change vets, this is nonsense. Rabbits don't turn into a 'messy bunny' overnight for no reason after 4 years of perfect litter training.

Sadly rabbit medicine is barely taught as part of the core veterinary curriculum so there are lots of well-meaning but poorly-knowledged vets who may be brilliant with cats and dogs but just don't know what they are looking for with rabbits. You can't tell just by feeling that 'everything is ok'.

As others have said, there are two prime culprits for this sudden change - one is a urinary tract infection, and the other is e.cuniculi (ec) infection. Both are treatable but ec in particular needs to be caught early as it is infectious and can cause permanent damage. Plus of course the constant wetness will be making your bunny very uncomfortable.

I would urge you to seek a second opinion from another vet if you have not done so already.

Good luck xx

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Only just seen this thread, I totally agree with everything everyone has said, especially Santa above. You really need to seek a 2nd opinion from a rabbit-savvy vet. This is not normal and not something a bun should be expected to live with, or you, unless there are good medical reasons.
UTI, Kidney problems, EC, spinal problems, are the obvious causes. A visual examination is simply not sufficient. I would expect a vet to be running tests on bloods, urine sample etc just to start with and a covering course of antibiotics to see if that clears things up at the outset.
Poor bun and poor you, I hope you find someone to help you both soon and your bunny feels better soon

Update on Wet Bunny

Thanks for all your advice guys, I took Caramel back to the vets tonight as his symptoms became worse over the weekend and he was beginning to drag his back leg, and he was shuffling his feet underneath him. My Bun is now on a course of antibiotics for the next 28 days and has also been given a course of Panacur. I am to take him back in a weeks time for a check up.

The vet believes that Caramel has got a parasite which not only attacks the bladder but effects the back legs, he did tell me what it was called but it was a rather long word and I can't remember it, just so relieved to be leaving the vets with Caramel as I had prepared myself for the worst.

I will keep you all updated, and thank you all so much for your advice and support.

Moobooties said:

Thanks for all your advice guys, I took Caramel back to the vets tonight as his symptoms became worse over the weekend and he was beginning to drag his back leg, and he was shuffling his feet underneath him. My Bun is now on a course of antibiotics for the next 28 days and has also been given a course of Panacur. I am to take him back in a weeks time for a check up.

The vet believes that Caramel has got a parasite which not only attacks the bladder but effects the back legs, he did tell me what it was called but it was a rather long word and I can't remember it, just so relieved to be leaving the vets with Caramel as I had prepared myself for the worst.

I will keep you all updated, and thank you all so much for your advice and support.

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Hi, was it Encephalitazoon Cuniculi?

If so - the now recommended dosage for Panacur is 28 days with a bleach clean (10% bleach) on days 21 and 28 and to keep all food away from urine.
If it is this, I would want some anti-inflammatories given also to reduce any inflammation along the nerves - as it can damage them too - hence the back legs dragging. Normally vets give Metacam/Meloxicam for this.

I do hope he picks up soon on his medication.

Oh dear, I do hope the treatment is successful and that you follow the advice for 28 days panacur and the bleach cleaning as advised by Prettylupin. What a shame you didn't take our advice sooner and take your bun to the vet sooner rather than waiting for a further deterioration Anyway hope you can still get this bun back to normal.